Turriabla, Cartago, Costa Rica 12.21.15

Dear Family,

So I am officially one week away from coming home. Little by little, I can feeling it all coming to a close. It went by crazy fast though. Lately i have been thinking about my mission looking back and seeing how I have changed. I can see that i have changed just a little bit here and there but overall I feel pretty the same. 

I had a pretty cool experience a couple of minutes ago actually. We were eating lunch at a local Carl's Jr. in San Jose. A man walked in a began to hand some papers to the people. He came to me and I read what it said. Basically it was him selling lollipops to take care of his family. Usually missionaries and members here have the attitude of I'm not going to give because you are probably just going to buy alcohol. But as I saw him I just felt a great sense of love for him as my brother. I gave him a card with the "A Savior is Born" incentive and gave him a few dollars without purchasing the lollipop. 

I felt as he walked away, the thought of "why did you just give him the money?" And the only thing I could think of was that I loved him. I felt that it was just a brief brush with charity. But it was meaningful for me. I feel that I have a sincere love for the ticos and I want them to truly come unto Christ and receive these blessings. 

I know that Heavenly Father has a wonderful plan. He is very conscience of our needs. He knows our names. 

I recently have found that the thirteenth article of faith is a promised blessing for believing the Articles of Faith 1-12. As we do and believe those things, we will become honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and will want to do good to all men. We will begin to look for that which is "virtuous, lovely, of good report and those things that are praiseworthy". We will have faith and believe all things, hope for all things things, and be able to endure all things. 

I know that the scriptures are to be lived, not just read. I know that the promises that the Lord makes us are real. May we all receive the gift of becoming this christmas. Have a very merry one!

Sigamos Adelante, 

-Elder Neider

Turriabla, Cartago, Costa Rica 12.14.15

Dear Family,

Glad to hear that Grandma is doing better. I hope that they can make it up. It just wouldn't be the same without them.

Well bueno. Hermana Flor will not be getting baptized on the 19th. But she is converted and has made goals for January. She is just struggling a little with coffee and cigarettes. But she is a fighter and I know that she'll be ok in January. But it is possible that we might still have 2 baptisms this month. Yorlene and Carlos were waiting for a wedding in January but we found a lawyer that said he could marry them free when they want. So they want to get married this week or next week, as well as get baptized. So we are holding out for that. We could use some prayers that all will go well. I sure hope so. It would be 2 baptisms the saturday before I head home.

Haha I don't have too much to report on nowadays. We are just working hard and trying to stay focused. My companion loves reminding me how many days left I have. Some times it bothers me but I feel like I have learned a lot of patience with stupidity. I have lived with 12 latino jokesters so I am pretty used to it.

Anyways hope you all have a good week!

Sigamos Adelante,

-Elder Neider

Turriabla, Cartago, Costa Rica 12.7.15

Dear Family,

Well I got some good news and I got bad news. The Good news is that the couple that was going to be sealed, are still going to be sealed. The bad news is that it will be sometime in January. The husband has been a member all his life. But the branch secretary didnt register that he was ordained an Elder. Therefore they did not meet the qualifications for sealing on Saturday. But all is well. They will be getting sealed sure enough.

Today we had a cool zone activity. We went to an old folks home and cleaned a little. I felt very accomplished because I took time to sit down and get to know some of the residents. Their stories are pretty cool. I think I learned more Costa Rican history today than all of my mission put together haha. At the end of the cleaning, we found a little guitar in the back. One elder fixed it up a little bit. When he was finished, I started strumming what I could and it worked out pretty well. The head of the center heard me playing and singing and decided that it would be cool for us to go sing for the center. So the Zone Leaders said, we need you to play The First Noel, Angels We Have Heard on High, and Silent Night on the guitar. I said ok and I actually was able to play the guitar for a performance for two of the three songs and it gave the zone pitch to sound good. Silent Night was a fiasco haha

But it is going great. We have one baptism planned for the 19th and a lot of activities until the 30th. We are just moving forward. But its coming to a close pretty quick. It's already the 7th! Crazy how quick it goes by.

Sigamos Adelante,

-Elder Neider

Turriabla, Cartago, Costa Rica 11.30.15

Dear Family, 

Well this week was a little stressful. A bunch of members came up to me and asked what my thoughts were about World War 3, to which I replied, ''I sure hope that it doesn't ever happen. I don't know why?'' Apparently they have forgotten that I am not in the circle of news. This was completely new to me. If someone could inform me about this, that would be great. Because a couple of the members were also asking me, ''What does 'The Draft' mean?'' Let's just say that made me a bit nervous. So a little update on that might put my mind at ease on that subject. 

It's great to hear that everything is going well with Grandma. I hope that things continue to get better. 

Last night we were informed that Elder Godoy has transfers which mean that I will be meeting my last companion on Wednesday. This is Elder Godoys first time getting transferred in the mission so he is a little anxious. He has served here in Turrialba for 10 months. That's a long time. But he will be a great companion. I am gonna miss him. 

This Saturday I will be going to the temple to seal another family from Sarapiqui. There's a big group will be coming as well from the branch. I feel deeply blessed that I have been able to see all of my past areas before I leave. I have seen them in Stake Conferences and in the temple. I get to say a few goodbyes at the very least. I am also glad that on the 21st we will have our Christmas Dinner so I will be able to see the rest of my missionary buds. 

Our Ward Mission Leader also taught us a new way to work with the members that was incredibly effective. We brought a couple of people to church and they were fellowshipped flawlessly. We are very excited because there is one sister here that is preparing to be baptized on the 19th. Please keep her in your prayers that she can have the way prepared and blessed. Her name is Flor. 

I loved the videos of Oliver laughing. You look good Megan. I love seeing how happy you are with that kid. He looks like a lot of fun. 

Anyways I love you all and I hope that Thanksgiving was good. I had a blast. 

Sigamos Adelante, 

-Elder Neider

I asked Elder Neider some questions and these are his answers

Yes I got the package. 

Anything special? Not really. I have lived long enough with just my own clothes and scriptures that I can't remember anything that I used to do before my mission that was worth the time. Maybe a soccer ball. I am going to be pretty easy this year haha. Surprise me :)

I have been trying some acne stuff here but still nothing has really been helping. I think we are just fighting with a law of nature at this point. I am doomed.... doomed..... doomed! But it is worth a shot maybe. Nothing too expensive though.

Garment size.... The writing on the tags have long since been erased due to two years of washing haha so I don't know. Whatever you have been sending me for my mission is a great fit though. 

Clothes? Just a good pair of shoes and some jeans. I don't know how much I have grown. The jeans that I am wearing right now are a little tight and they size 32'30. I forgot what the numbers mean. Man writing this part of the letter I feel inadequate to come back to the real world haha.

And food? Christines good punch, Grandmas Tacos, Dads Cheesy Cheeto Eggs, Shrimp Enchiladas, and I don't know if this exists in the States, plantains. Its looks like a big banana. I hope it does!

Turriabla, Cartago, Costa Rica 11.23.15

Dear Family, 

I was actually thinking about Bam Bam this week. About 3 days ago i thought to myself that he is probably getting old and might not remember me when I get back. But if not at least he could be my cuddle bud during some of the movies I'll be watching. Darn. That actually made me a little sad to hear that. But everything will be ok. Maybe we can get a Golden Retriever, Great Dane, or Rott Weiler to feel the void. Just spit balling here of course.

Yesterday we had the first Stake Conference of the Cartago Stake. One of the many blessings of this area is that I tend to see my two old areas frequently. People began to make plans to say goodbye to me seeing as I'm nearing the One Month Left mark. We will be headed to the temple on the 5th of December for a sealing of my converts so ill be able to see the members of Sarapiqui as well before I head off. The only area that I won't be able to say goodbye to is my area of Cañas because it is in the other mission. I have been trying to call my converts there for the past year but I think that they changed cell numbers. I have been trying to find the way to contact them but we will see how it works out. 

The conference was great. All of the messages were great. Haha the new patriarch went a little trigger happy calling the members to repentance with a moving talk about the signs of the times. Haha it was like watching an Evangelist preacher. One of the members leaned over to me and said, "Do you feel like he is laying it on a little thick or is it just me?" haha it was pretty funny.

We are just working here a little bit more in Turrialba. We have found a couple of new families that look like the Spirit has already given them their answers. You can see the it in their eyes the moment that they understand on a deeper level that this is true and is going to bless them. I realized how little we do in the work. We liiterally are here to invite others to accept or reject this message. If they accept they progress. We are here to baptize those that will accept right now. So it's awesome to see who the Lord has prepared for us. 

Anyways I love you all and I'll be seeing you soon. 

Sigamos Adelante, 

-Elder Neider

Turriabla, Cartago, Costa Rica 11.16.15

Dear Family,

Today we woke up and did our Spring Cleaning. The house is officially spotless. It was a little gross. My companion cuts his own hair and he put me in charge of cleaning the bathroom. I realized how little he cleans up after a cut. Oh well.

This week has been a little frustrating for us. We worked as hard as we could to bring people to church. We passed by everyday and recommitted them to come. They always answered "Of course I'll go!" Super enthused, right? So we even called Sunday in the morning and a lot said yeah we will see you in a few minutes. But once the service started we realized that no one had come nor was in their way :'( we just felt a little disappointed. My companion said it's like waiting at the restaurant for your girlfriend and she never came. Haha that made me laugh a little bit cause I totally felt that way. Our relationships and love for our investigators is weird haha.

But everything is going great right now. We are working and seeing little miracles here and there. We are loving our missionary service and we are just moving forward. We love you all and we are praying that you will all receive testimonies to keep moving forward. The best thing that we can do is be humble enough to be obedient, even though we may not understand perfectly what is going on in the world.

Nephi said that he was ''guided by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which he should do''. He first obeyed the Spirit, and then everything worked out. Let us be obedient and He will provide the way for us. 

Have a great week!

Sigamos Adelante,

-Elder Neider

Turriabla, Cartago, Costa Rica 11.10.15

Dear Family, 

Yesterday we got back late and didn't have the opportunity to write. So I am replying right now :)

Good to hear that Honda is doing great. He is still a goofball. We write every so often. We will see how things all work when we are all back home. 

I put Grandma and Grandpas names on the prayer roll. Hope that all is well. 

So some good news is that on the 5th of December we will be going to the temple to seal another family of my converts. haha I love going to the temple.

This week has been a little strange. We haven't been able to be in our area for a while. We went and got my green card renewed, had zone conference with President, went for divisions, and a bunch of other stuff. 

We had a funny experience though. We had a member tell us that he made an appointment to speak in a local Evangelist congregation. The thing is that the Pastor does studies of other churches and teaches his group about them. So this member said lets go. We asked our President for permission. He said it was ok as long as we only testified. So we went. 

Apparently the member didn't make an official appointment so obviously the Pastor felt like we were intruding. We walked into a little building that was pitch black and all you could hear was angry shouting about the Holy Ghost, power of God. When he noticied that we were there, he told his wife to continue with their service as he went to speak with us. We walked out into the hallway and without us saying a single word, he began to speak I'll of the church and of Joseph Smith. He yelled at us that the heavens were sealed and that God doesn't speak anymore because He left us with the Bible and that is all we need. 

I asked him why he thought that the heavens were sealed and if he knew of a verse that said that there would be no more revelation. He leaned in close and said, When Christ was on the cross, one of his last words were, It is finished. SO there you have it Elder Nayder, the Lord himself said that there would be no more. No man can claim to have written more scriptures after this moment. 

I simply said, that is a great answer hermano. Except for the fact that the Lord revealed the Books of The Acts, Galatians, Ephesian, Colossians, Thessalonians, Romans, Hebrews, Corinthians, 2 books of Peter, 3 books of John, two letters to timothy, letters to Titus,, Philemon, Jude, and the Prophecies of the Apocalypse known as Revelations. He didn't say a word. To which i testified that the Lord does love us and continues to speak to us through living prophets and apostles. And then my companion testified. And then he threw us out. hahahaha

Classic

Anyways I hope that everything is going great at home. I love you all lots.

Sigamos Adelante, 

-Elder Neider